"Starkaffea was born to provide healthy and quality yet delicious drinks to the Filipino families. Apart from this, we wanted to help empower coconut sugar farmers who are helping us; our relationship has been mutual."
THE sweet aroma of coffee is sure to perk up any sleepy head.
The sheer joy of drinking it slowly or gulping it straight from a big mug is always a pleasant experience.
Coffee is a caffeine fix to boost the energy, and a comfort drink to satisfy the gut.
Jechelle "Cheng" Pabilonia is one of the countless coffee lovers who enjoy every drop of coffee. She has been a coffee drinker since her teenage years but because she is into health and fitness, she opted to formulate her own coffee.
Since all brands in the market have either too strong coffee or high table sugar content, Pabilonia was inspired to concoct a coffee which is not too strong but with all the healthy and quality ingredients that you need in a coffee cup. This was almost 10 years ago when Starkaffea Corp. was born.
Armed with a diploma in Exercise and Sports Science at the University of the Philippines, Diliman, Pabilonia bravely entered the world of entrepreneurship and became a chief executive officer (CEO) at age 35.
Her Bachelors of Arts degree in Mass Communication at Centro Escolar University came in handy for her.
Pabilonia's mantra has always been to achieve something great.
"You can really make your dreams come true," she said.
She started her career as a documentation specialist in a bank and tried co-hosting and co-producing a television show on fitness.
At 25, she was able to purchase her own condominium and her first car, and five years later, she got her parents a house and a car.
As a CEO whose main preoccupation is health and wellness, she knew very well the needs of the discriminating taste of Filipino families.
She set up Starkaffea Corp. to produce "Kaffea," a coffee drink using coconut sugar as a sweetener. Coconut sugar is classified as a lowest glycemic index (GI) food, which has the lowest GI of 35 among all types of sugar. Coconut sugar regulates blood sugar levels and blood pressure, and is rich in calcium and potassium, and helps manage diabetes and boosts the immune system.
With the guidance of her former professors and team of scientists and researchers, Pabilonia painstakingly made sure that each cup of Kaffea contains the best-handpicked ingredients. Each cup contains regulated coffee content, nondairy creamer, agaricus mushroom, collagen, COQ10, gano derma, grape seed extract, glutathione and L-carnitine.
"My late father Julian Pabilonia pushed me to start the corporation. He believed in me and this was enough to pursue my dream," she said.
Her late father was a newly retired manager of Asian Terminal Inc. and provided her with guidance on how to start the corporation.
Through various networks built up from her early working years, Pabilonia successfully negotiated with a group of farmers from Mindanao to provide her with coconut sugar and other raw materials.
"Starkaffea was born to provide healthy and quality yet delicious drinks to the Filipino families," Pabilonia said. "Apart from this, we wanted to help empower coconut sugar farmers who are helping us; our relationship has been mutual."
The CEO of Starkaffea, Pabilonia recalled that her dad assisted in every way he could in both petty and large tasks, nothing was overwhelming for the old man.
When Cheng went to Lucky Chinatown Mall in 2011 to join a bazaar, her father was there firsthand to ensure that logistics were complete.
"My dad Julian was at the helm of the Kaffea Coffee Shop in St. Francis Square, which he lovingly attended from 2011 until 2019," he said.
In no time, Pabilonia honed her skills and talents as an entrepreneur and a fitness coach at the same time, slowly people began to like her brand.
Starkaffea's community grew. More and more came to know about the benefits of Starkaffea coffee blend with coconut sugar. The coffee became the "message" itself. Words passed around until another investor joined Pabilonia and eventually the corporation grew into a team of 10 before the pandemic.
Her only son, Julian Victor Pabilonia Dupaya, earned her Medicine degree from the University of Santo Tomas and came on board as a doctor consultant-on-call of Starkaffea Corp.
An honors student since elementary, he passed the examination for occupational health doctors with flying colors. He now ensures the health and wellness of the Starkaffea team.
The pandemic was a litmus test for Starkaffea Corp. A staff member got sick and orders decreased. Staff had to work from home, but the corporation soldiered on. Pabilonia said that despite their limited resources, the corporation was even able to donate coffee sachets to health frontliners.
In 2022, the corporation formulated another brand, Chocolea chocolate drink. The name "Chocolea" originated from the word "choco," short for chocolate, and "lea," meaning bringing of good news. Together with her former professor, Pabilonia launched Chocolea during the pandemic.
As Starkaffea is run by Pabilonia, the youngest in the family and now in her 40s, all her family members have a role in the corporation: Mommy Vicky, Kuya Joey and children, Julian Marco and Jilleana Marie, have eventually helped in Starkaffea Corp. They take turns in joining trade exhibitions and in extending a hand in the business.
Pabilonia revealed that Starkaffea Corp. has its ups and downs.
"I plan to set up our own Starkaffea Coffee Shop. We are now open to investors joining us. In the future, Starkaffea hopes to become a byword in every Filipino household. We are competing with giant manufacturers, but we continue to be vigilant," she said.
Starkaffea Corp. is now collaborating with a group of business people in the United States. The corporation's coffee and chocolate drinks are now available in Island Pacific Supermarket and other Filipino stores in the US aside from a few shops in the Philippines.
Starkaffea Corp. has a long way to go but the fire and passion in the heart of Pabilonia to strive and to succeed never wanes.
ABOUT ME
What is your biggest fear?
Getting sick as in major sickness.
What really makes you angry?
Dishonest people.
What motivates you to work hard?
My eagerness to help people who are in need and my dogs.
What makes you laugh the most?
Being with my best friends for life and doing crazy things, or the thought of just hanging out with them and anticipating moments to be crazy.
What did you want to be when you were small?
Flight attendant, but my height was not enough.
What would you do if you won the lotto?
Build Starkaffea Cafè, have our own manufacturing plant, plant coconut trees in a 3-hectare land and travel the whole world in first-class plane seat.
If you could share a meal with any individual, living or dead, who would they be?
My Dad.
What's the most daring thing you've ever done?
Resign from a stable company and be an independent worker, change career path and build a business.
What was the last book you read?
"30 DAYS: Change your habits, Change your life."
Which celebrity would you like to meet for a cup of coffee?
Rafael Nadal and Keanu Reeves.
What is one thing you will never do again?
Get married and file for an annulment.
Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
Traveling
Read The Rest at :
